Learning to Stand
by argella1300
Summary: A zombie epidemic has broken out. Germany and Italy are swept up in the ensuing chaos. Italy must learn how to stand on his own, or else perish in this new world. Rating subject to change. Uses human names. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I've had this idea for quite a while now, and I just wanted to get it out in the open before it drove me crazy. It's my first attempt at a real fic, so all constructive criticism, advice, and encouragement is REALLY appreciated. So, without further ado, let's start the fic!**

**Hetalia is owned by Himaruya**

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The clamor in the station was deafening. Italy could barely see through the crowd of people, jostling him this way and that. It was all he could do to keep a tight hold on Germany's elbow as he muscled his way through the crowded train station. Everyone was vying for a seat on that train, the train that would take them somewhere safe, away from all the mayhem. A train whistle blew, making Italy jump a little as he clutched even tighter to Ludwig's sleeve. He looked over his shoulder at the other two, Romano and Gilbert, as they all clung to each other like life lines in a tumultuous sea of bodies.

"Hurry Feliciano! The train is leaving soon!"

_'Germany sounds especially tense today...', _he thought. _'Well, who can blame him, really? He is partially responsible for this fiasco.'_

Italy cast a nervous glance at the German citizens around them. Everything was total chaos, barely being kept under control by the German Army officers on duty in the station.

_'It all started nine months ago...'_, he mused. A group of American and German scientists had finally found a cure for cancer that could be turned into a vaccine. At last people could live life without the fear of contracting the often deadly disease.

_'Too bad they couldn't predict that this would happen'_, he thought bitterly. His gaze wandered over to the other side of the station. In the main atrium of the station, a large area had been sectioned off. People were being herded inside like zoo animals. Families were being torn apart as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons were unceremoniously shoved inside- identified under one title.

_'Darkseekers.'_

About three months after the vaccines were released, reports started coming in. People were getting sick; they started acting strange- getting third degree burns from sunlight, odd skin coloration, crying tears of blood, extreme hunger, among other things. It quickly escalated to hospitalizations, attacks, and deaths.

_'Well, if you count turning into a blood-lusting, flesh-crazed monster as dying.'_ Yes, Germany, with America's assistance, had inadvertently caused a zombie epidemic. And now it was threatening to engulf the entire world in a wave of madness. Italy felt a sharp jab in his back.

"Hey! Look alive fratello, macho man got us to the front." Italy glared at Romano and looked at Germany, who was arguing with one of the soldiers letting healthy people on the train.

"I'm sorry sir, there's only room for three more people in this car, any more would be too much of a safety hazard." Gilbert stepped in.

"What about the other cars? We'll ride in freight if we have to-"

"I'm sorry sir, but every car is full."

In the midst of the crowds, all the sounds suddenly seemed very far away. Italy was only aware of their little rag-tag group, dressed as if they were going on a long hiking trip through the Alps; winter coats, hiking packs, and all, even though it was only September. But none of that mattered, because on that platform, all four of them came to the same, inevitable, yet no less heart-wrenching conclusion.

_'One of us is going to have to stay behind.'_

Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, which seemed to stretch into hours. They all looked at each other, waiting for the answer which none of them wanted to hear, yet they prayed someone else would provide, to save them from having to volunteer. They scarcely dared to breathe.

"I'll stay."

The sounds of the station came back all in a sudden rush, yet at the same time, Italy felt his heart drop into his stomach. He looked up at Germany, the man he loved with all his heart and soul. A painful ump was starting to form in his throat.

"Germany-" Said Nation silenced his plea with a cold glare. Ludwig directed his gaze to the other two Nations and cleared his throat.

"I'll stay behind, and there's no point in arguing now, I've made my decision. So be quiet and listen to what I'm about to say, because I'm only going to say it once." He turned to address his brother.

"Gilbert," the albino ex-Nation looked as he'd just been stunned, "take care of yourself, don't let your pride keep you from being truly happy." The Nation formerly known as Prussia blinked once, twice and nodded jerkily, not trusting himself to speak. Ludwig nodded to himself, turning now to address the older of the two Italians, whom he was surprised to see looked a little sad to see him go.

"Romano," Ludwig's voice was a touch gentler now,"I know we haven't exactly gotten along in the past, but I have a favor to ask." Romano looked up, shocked. Germany continued, "I need you to look after your brother while I'm gone, please?" Romano raised his eyebrows in surprise, gaping like a fish for a few seconds, but managed a grunt in reply. Ludwig expected as much, and moved on to the final member of the group. His heart gave a painful lurch when he looked at Feliciano, the only Nation- no, the only person, he'd ever made a true connection with.

_'And fallen head over heels in love with,' _said the little voice in the back of his head. It was true, he loved the little Italian, loved him with every fiber of his being. And it broke his heart to see him weeping like this now. Choking back a sob, Ludwig gathered his lover into a rough and desperate kiss. Romano flushed angrily and looked away. Pulling back, Ludwig gazed into those bottomless brown eyes he loved so dearly and wiped a few stray tears off Feli's cheek with his thumb. He cleared his throat to speak again.

"Feliciano;" his voice broke a little, he swallowed.

"Feliciano, you were the first friend i ever had, my first true connection outside of my family. You know I love you more than anything in the world, and that I would do everything in my power to ensure your safety-"

"Ludwig, n-no I c-can't d-do this without you, I'm not strong enough-" Italy was in hysterics now, but Germany shook him gently, his own voice thick with tears.

"Italy, listen to me. Yes. You. Are. I love you. I believe in you. I know you can." Ludwig reached into his shirt and pulled a chain over his head. A ring was on it, like the kind one receives for graduating from a high school, college, or university. He placed it around Feliciano's neck. Italy looked at the ring, much too large for his own fingers. It was from Humboldt-University of Berlin, silver, with the seal of the school on it. Ludwig's name, class year, and degree were engraved on the ring too.

"Feliciano, _Ich liebe dich_, and I promise, no matter what happens, I will find you-" he looked up; the train's conductor was yelling something-

"ALL ABOARD!"

_"__Scheiße__!"_ he cursed under his breath._ "_Get on, NOW!" he shoved the other three on the train, and watched nervously as they found an open window. All three of them stuck their heads out,just as the train started to pull away. Ludwig was crying openly now, but he honestly couldn't give a rat's ass about that right now. All he could do was keep up his pace as he ran alongside the train as it gradually gathered speed. His only rational thought was to keep his Italy in his sights as long as possible.

"I'LL FIND YOU FELICIANO! I SWEAR IT!" He had to shout, else the noisy locomotive would drown him out completely. He kept running until the platform ended, fenced off by a metal railing. Ludwig gripped it as hard as he could until his knuckles were white, needing support, otherwise he feared his legs might give way. Furiously wiping tears from his eyes, he kept watching the train as it moved away, carrying his lover off to a nearby port, where he would be put on a boat that would take him somewhere safe.

Once the train finally disappeared out of sight, Ludwig felt his knees buckle, and he sunk down into deep despair on the cold train station floor. Hugging his knees to his chest, he finally let go. Agonizing sobs racked his strong frame. Never before had he felt such a raw heartache, almost as though his heart had been gouged out of his chest with a rusty spoon, leaving an empty vacuum in its place.

Either God took pity on the poor nation, the exhaustion of the past nine months had at last sunk in, or the loss of the love of his life had completely shut him down; but soon enough, sleep began to tempt him. But before he succumbed to the peaceful bliss only unconsciousness can provide, one final, determined purpose ran through his mind, repeating itself over and over again like a mantra; simultaneously soothing the dull ache beginning to form in his head and setting every nerve of his body on alight with the fire of pure strength and determination.

His voice scarcely above a whisper, he repeated it to himself, as if he were saying the rosary.

_"Ich werde dich finden."_

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_**Translation Notes:(from Google Translate)**

**-_ Ich liebe dich _= I love you**

**_- __Scheiße__! _= Shit!**

**_- __Ich werde dich finden. _= I will find you**

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_**Okay! So, that's it for Chapter 1 of Learning to Stand. I hope you enjoyed it! I had a hard time writing the romantic stuff, I hope it didn't come out too cheesy. Anyways, if I made an error in the translating, if you would like to provide some constructive criticism, or just wanna be heard, feel free to write a review! Until next time, keep your pens sharp!**

**-argella1300**_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, I finished junior year! God, I feel like I should make myself a T-shirt or something. A word of advice kiddies, when they say that junior year is your hardest year of high school, THEY AREN'T LYING! Seriously, I was taking an AP Studio Art class, and I really went through the eye of the needle getting everything turned in on May 6th. **

**Anyways, that's all over and done with now, here's chapter 2! Special thanks to for beta-reading, you are a saint!**

**All translations provided by Google Translate- please feel free to correct me if anything is wrong.**

**Hetalia Axis Powers (c) Hidekaz Himaruya**

Germany awoke with a start and immediately noticed two things. One was a dull throbbing somewhere behind his right eyebrow. The other was the silence. He looked around.

_'Where is everybody?'_

The entire station was deserted- not a soul in sight. The only sounds Ludwig could hear were his own blood pumping and breathing. The unsettling silence seemed to press down on his ears.

_'Something isn't right here,'_ he thought. He had a bad feeling in his gut. He took his Walther P38(1) out of its belt holster, holding it at the ready.

_'Just breathe, don't think about him. Let your training and instincts take over.'_ he took a deep breath._ 'Okay, your first objective is to scout the area for any Infected and identify possible threats.'_ He crouched low and set off, moving as quickly and quietly as he could. _'Use every available piece of cover, time your movements with the clouds and the sun.'_ He glanced up quickly at the skylights in the ceiling, drenching the main atrium with natural sunlight. He paused behind a pillar to catch his breath.

_'Why are you stopping? You don't need a break! You've barely done anything!'_ Germany chanced a look around the pillar, over his right shoulder.

_'There's the Infected enclosure. It's empty.'_ From his vantage point about 100 or so yards away, able to make out much. _'I'll have to get closer then.'_

Continuing on, he stopped behind a trash can, about 50 yards away from the enclosure. Even from over 100 feet away, it was evident that some kind of struggle had taken place. _'It must have been pretty nasty, judging from the debris lying around.'_

Germany kept going, but as he came upon the scene, he wished hadn't.

"Mein Gott."(2) Bodies of a few guards; twisted, mangled, and bloody, lay on the ground- as if they had been tossed aside like dolls. The gate to the area where the Infected were being herded had been ripped completely off its hinges, and lay battered and misshapen off the side a little ways away. Blood stains and shell casings decorated the ground like confetti. A few civilians, formerly Infected he assumed, lay in much the same manner as the guards. The sight of a young girl lying face-down in her own blood made it difficult to swallow the rising bile in his throat.

He saw a flash of movement to his left, and his soldier instincts instantly kicked into high gear- already cocking and aiming his gun at the potential threat. Ludwig mentally cursed himself for getting distracted as he felt a bead of sweat drip down his neck and into his shirt.

"Komm, zeig dich du feige Memme."(3)

"Germany" Is that really you?" Ludwig jumped a little. _'I know that voice!'_

"L-Lichtenstein?" The young female Nation cautiously stepped out from her hiding place behind a newsstand. Ludwig hastily disarmed his gun and shoved it back in its holster before running over to his fellow Nation.

"Lily! Thank God you're alright. How are you? Not too seriously injured, I would hope." Lichtenstein smiled wanly. Dark circles under her eyes belied her exhaustion.

"I'm fine". Ludwig looked at her incredulously. _'How can she be fine? She's practically dead on her feet_. _This isn't the time to lecture her!'_ he thought, shaking his head internally._ 'I need more information on the whereabouts of other Nations.'_

"What about Vash? Isn't he supposed to be with you?" Lily bit her lip and looked at her shoes, her eyes filling with unshed tears._ 'Oh no.'_ Crouching down so he could look her in the eye, Ludwig grabbed Lily's shoulders and gave her a little shake.

"Lily, what happened to Vash?" He winced internally, his voice sounded a little more shrill and desperate than he'd intended. She sniffled a little, and when she spoke, her voice was thick, like how someone sounds when they're crying.

"There was a riot. The Infected got loose of their retainers. It was complete chaos. Everyone started running towards the trains that would take them through the mountains to the nearest port. During the commotion, I tripped...Bruder(4), he-he tried to come back, but the crowds kept coming in waves, pushing him forward." She was sobbing now, tears making tracks on her dirty cheeks. Awkwardly, Ludwig gave Lily a small hug and let her cry into his shoulder for a little bit. He waited until her sobs had calmed down to occasional sniffles, then he let her go. Lily stepped back, hugging herself as if to ward off some phantasmic chill.

"How long ago was that?" he asked.

"Three weeks." Ludwig gaped at the small Nation in front of him. _'She's been on her own for three weeks? How did she manage to get here?'_ Ludwig voiced that thought aloud, she shrugged.

"I hitched rides with other travelers mostly, I also walked. I managed to get a horse for some part of the journey." There was a brief pause where neither spoke. Lily looked up at Ludwig with puffy red eyes.

"What do we do now?" she asked. Germany snorted bitterly and plopped down on a nearby bench.

"Besides survive and get out of this hell hole?" he asked no one in particular, running a hand through his hair. Lily joined him on the bench. They sat in silence for a while, thinking. Resting her hand on her chin, she looked up at her friend.

"Well, we definitely can't stay here," she mused out loud.

"We might as well try finding some other Nations. There's always safety in numbers," Germany said. Lily nodded in reply.

"I know a place where we can stay for the time being," she said. "It's not much, but it's above a small market and general store, so we'll have access to food and supplies." Germany was silent, turning over the last option in his mind, when the sound of boots on tile snapped him out of his reverie.

"Where are you going?" Lily paused and looked over her shoulder incredulously.

"To the place I just mentioned of course! Now are you coming or not?"

Ludwig hesitated. _'Is it safe? There could be Infected roaming outside the station.'_ Lichtenstein saw the uncertainty on Germany's face and let out a huff of frustration.

"Look, we can either stay here and die slowly as our food runs out, or we can go out there and try to find new resources, and, if we're lucky, other Nations as well. I don't know about you, but I would much rather go on the offensive, give myself a fighting chance, and possibly find mein Bruder."(5)

Ludwig was rather taken aback at the sudden lecture coming from such a petite, meek Nation._ 'She does have a point though'_, said the little voice in the back of his head. _'Remember what you promised him.'_ Steeling his resolve, Germany turned back to Lichtenstein. She smiled when she saw the old fire back in his eyes.

"Well then, let's be off, shall we?" Lily gave a small smile and nod in reply, and together they left the station, a new purpose driving them forward.

**Translations and Footnotes (sources: Wikipedia and Google Translate)**

**(1)**_** "He took his Walther P38 out of its belt holster...":**_ **A Walther P38 is a type of 9mm pistol, originally developed by Walther for the Wehrmacht when WWII started. It's a very high quality gun, and it's one of the guns Walther is famous for, the others being the Walther PPK and P99**, **which the character James Bond is known to carry.**

**(2)**_** "'Mein Gott.'"**_** = My God**

**(3) **_**"'Komm, zeig dich du feige Memme.'"**_**= Come on, show yourself you gutless coward**

**(4) **_**"'Bruder'"**_**= Brother**

**(5) **_**"'mein Bruder'"**_**= my brother**

**So, that's it for chapter 2! Please read and review!**


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